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Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Crying Over Spilt Milk

Anyone who has ever had to pump breast milk knows that the pumped milk is, as a friend referred to it, liquid gold. That's why, when preparing a bottle for Baby X and knocking over and spilling 4 oz. of breast milk, I wanted to cry.

I'm not a huge fan of breastfeeding. My babies don't do it well. I'm not comfortable doing it anywhere that isn't extremely private. Etc. Etc. I do it because it's what's best for the baby. Since Baby X was in the hospital for a week, and hadn't been gaining weight like he was supposed to due to his heart condition, he was put on a high calorie diet. High Calorie Formula. Fortified Breast Milk. So while he's now getting almost only breast milk, he is not in fact, breast feeding. It's almost a win win situation for me. Except for the pumping. I have to pump. And I still have to feed him a bottle. And then there's the occasional spilled breast milk that has to be cried over.

6 comments:

Wait - so are you pumping and then feeding it to him? So it's like you're feeding him twice (timewise)? Whoa, God bless you. Pumping is a lot of work. I don't think the pump (at least mine) was ever as agressive at getting the milk out as the baby was. I hated doing it. You're right though, it is best for the baby - and as Erik always mentions - free.

I went to girl's camp last summer while Luke was still breastfeeding and it was miserable. The worst part was that since I was at camp, I had to throw out all that "liquid gold" I was pumping.

I totally hate breastfeeding. I prefer pumping for a couple of reasons. This is seriously my issue. I love having a schedule and a routine, and I love knowing how much the baby is getting. So pumping gives them the breastmilk that's better for them, and 2)I know how much they are getting and I'm not the only one that has to feed him. Pumping with an electric pump on both sides at the same time is over in just a few minutes and then the bottle can be pretty fast and possibly someone else is feeding them. Of course, it's annoying sometimes to have a million bottles and nipples to deal with, but it sure makes me happier. The feeding issue is where the crazy lady in me comes out.

Cristin- yes, pumping and then feeding him. Not necessarily what I just pumped. Although sometimes that works out nicely because I don't have to warm it. For the most part he's eating every 4 hours during the day and I'm pumping every 4-6 hours throughout the day and night.

Jamie- you're brave to say you hate it. I pretty much do, but am not brave enough to admit it fearing that the la leche league will bang down my door and arrest me. i need help on the whole scheduling side of things. my sister has her 3 month old on a super strict schedule. it's just not me. it should be, but it's not. but i do love knowing how much he's getting. we're to a point where i could probably try to breast feed again, see if he'd latch on or if he's too used to a bottle. but i'm so attached to knowing exactly how many ounces he's getting that I don't know if I could handle breast feeding at this point. plus the whole not loving it aspect.:)

Way to go Nancy! That is impressive. For me one of the main advantages of breastfeeding is no dishes. And pumping means twice as many dishes. Linus will probably never truly appreciate what a great mom you are.

This is the first baby that didn't want my breast milk...my boys nursed a long time. But at two months Sara didn't want to nurse or drink breast milk out of a bottle. So I am not nursing...it's really nice to have some freedom - especially with the 3rd child. But I now cry over unfinished bottles of formula, because I am now paying a lot of money for it!

Now that I'm not nursing Luke anymore, I can see why people feel this freedom when they stop. It is nice being able to leave him for an extended period of time, etc. But, I guess I'm the opposite when it comes to nursing. When I did give Luke a bottle (for whatever reason) I dreaded cleaning the bottles, preparing them, etc. It was just so much easier to lift up my shirt and give it to him. No clean up or preparation required. I looked forward to sitting on the couch and just holding him. It was very peaceful. I never had a schedule or routine either, just whenever he was hungry seemed to work best.

If you went back to nursing, I bet you would know if he wasn't getting enough milk, he would cry or stop having dirty diapers.

Anyway, ditto what Erin said. Stoic Sam will probably never truly appreciate what you're doing to feed him. Sounds like loads of work to me.

About Me

An avid reader, sometimes writer, wife, mom, homeschooler, baker of yummy treats. I grew up in California, jumped around the United States (Kansas, Virginia, Ohio) and somehow ended up in Beijing China.